Over and Over

Singha

EL-BAAZ MANSOR,
KANO,
NIGERIA.

LAYLA'S POV

"Ilham! Where is she?" I asked breathlessly, catching sight of Ilham trying to sneak away.

I knew she was hiding something, and my curiosity had finally caught up with me.

She stopped mid-step, her eyes wide with guilt, then turned to face me.

Her expression was unreadable, and for a moment, I wasn’t sure if I should even press her.

"What?" I demanded, my attention entirely focused on her.

She sighed, wiggling her hands nervously, a telltale sign she was about to confess something.

"Well, Adda... I was actually lying."

"What!" I exclaimed, completely caught off guard.

"I thought you needed help, seeing Hakeem so close to you. I know it must've been uncomfortable," she admitted in one quick breath, her words tumbling out faster than she could think.

For a moment, I didn’t know what to say.

I stared at her, and for once in many weeks, I felt a pang of love for her.

"Thank you," I whispered, surprising even myself.

I pulled her into a warm hug, something I hadn’t done in ages.

Just as we embraced, Hibban's voice echoed from behind.

"Lalla!" he called out, sprinting towards us. "Hakeem is looking for you," he announced breathlessly before running back inside, leaving me standing there with a racing heart.

I sighed deeply, taking a long breath to steady myself.

I walked toward the living room, where I knew Hakeem was waiting.

The moment I entered the room, the air shifted.

He stood there, his face bathed in the soft glow of the lanterns hanging above.

His usually calm demeanour was gone, which was now replaced by a tense expression.

His jaw clenched, and it was as if he was struggling to find the right words but couldn't quite grasp them.

“I know it wasn’t right to marry you without your consent,” he finally said, his voice low, strained, as if every syllable weighed heavily on him.

His words struck me like a blow.

My heart pounded, and a mix of hurt and confusion washed over me.

The pain was fresh, as if the wound had just been reopened.

"Then why did you?" I asked, my voice trembling, though I tried to keep the storm of emotions inside me from spilling over.

He looked away, his guilt written all over his face.

“You separated me from the person I loved, Imam,” I continued, my voice now cracking.

Tears filled my eyes, blurring my vision, but I refused to let them fall.

I wouldn’t give him that satisfaction, not now.

“I’m scared,” he admitted, the vulnerability in his words cutting through the tension.

“Scared of the love I have for you... because I know it will destroy me. And I also know that I’ll let it, because I love deeply.”

His confession left me speechless.

“You can call me selfish or whatever you want," He continued, as frustration creeped into his tone.

"But I wasn’t going to stand by and watch you marry someone who didn’t deserve you. Some irresponsible brat who wasn’t good enough for you.”